Transient
by pyro-rocketeer
Summary: All of her fevered dreams reminded her of Naruto's last, punctuating words to make the future better. Time-travel. Sakura-centric for the most part. The rating might change. (Abandoned, possible repost/rewrite).
1. Chapter 1

**I own nothing.**

Her mother loved cooing at her. She'd scrunch up her nose to make the silliest of faces, just so she could catch her little daughter off guard. And Sakura would let out a happy gurgle, a soft bubbly gurgle that caused her mother to look at her with warm delight.

She also thought that her father was absolutely terrifying in his _fatherly_ way. He would lift her tenderly up high in the air and drop her- only to catch her again, with a terrifying glint of mischief in his eyes. Startled by the sudden momentum and her father's awful sense of humor, she started to cry bitterly. Poor Kizashi Haruno swore up and down to his livid wife, that he would not scare his "lovely little blossom" like that ever again, before she finally relented and Sakura relaxed in his arms again.

Baby Sakura Haruno's brain never registered much other than the rustle of leaves outside her house, her soft toys, that infuriating pacifier or the smell of her mother's soft lavender quilts or the bobbing of her father's knees. And everything was _safe_ and happy. But sometimes, like a vague memory or an echo, she would hear a scratchy voice calling out to her at night.

"You can change all of this, Sakura-chan. I know you can."

When she turned one, she was given child-safe crayons and paper to hone her hidden artistic talents. But Sakura didn't draw elaborate masterpieces or violent explosions of colorful lines. She started to draw things that came back to her in strange dreams, of seals and cryptic warnings and men from the sky and a pair of bloody, bloody red eyes. And she'd tear page after page after page of drawings just so she could draw it again, because she felt so irritated and they won't get out of her head.

Her art was smudged and wayward, crayon markings haphazardly forming shapes and things she didn't understand herself. Her mother wondered why her daughter overused her black crayon while her father was vaguely reminded of those Uchihas with sharingan eyes in the shinobi district. Neither parent was a ninja, nor had they spent much time in the company of those "pesky roof-hoppers" to understand the complex seals that young Sakura happily scrawled on pages.

And one of the first few words that Sakura blurbed out to her parents also vaguely sounded like 'shinobi'.

By two, Sakura is beginning to have more of those strange dreams. The cryptic red eyes that haunt her dreams begin to pan out, she sees a young boy with bloody tears and she's disturbed. She doesn't know why she feels disturbed but she just does. So she wakes up crying and crying till her parents come rushing in.

They smile at her, they tell her it's alright and she sleeps again, under their warm hands holding her, she nods off to a dreamless sleep.

When she's three, she's rambunctious. She runs around the house till she drops, with a little blanket fluttering behind her. But young Sakura feels like wind when she jumps, she's reminded of nostalgic things and those awful strange feelings of that only feel _right_ in her dreams.

Mebuki Haruno realizes that her daughter has too much energy and that energy needs to burn. So she takes her daughter out with her, and nearly has a heart attack when her child slips out of her hand to 'ketch duh bufferfy'.

And like that, Sakura gets lost in the busy crowds, drunken with exuberant little giggles as she chases the little red butterfly with astonishing single-minded precision. And well, she's having the time of her life until someone grabs her and picks her up.

She blinks. Once and then twice, watching the butterfly mocking her as it dances away.

She turns around to see a man with silver haphazard hair, much like the one in her drawings. He has his left eye covered and he's observing her with slight interest. She then sees her mother comes up to the two of them, panting between scolding her daughter and apologizing to the strange man.

"Sakura-chan, say sorry to the nice man you troubled," her mother says to her reproachfully. She turns back to the nice man in shock and a bit of curiousity. _We knows him, we knows him, we knows him_ , her mind chants.

"Owwy," she bubbles out politely. The mask he's wearing shifts lightly.

"No problem, please don't run off like that next time," he says, while turning to leave after waving goodbye.

And Sakura at three remembers an older feminine voice call out.

 _Kakashi-sensei!_

By four, she's cracking open books on shelves and reading them tentatively as her father practically swoons ("my baby's reading, my little scholar- look at her, Mebuki"). But her parents soon realize that their child is unusually intelligent. She's reading words naturally as if she's done it all her life, and the stories sound dear and familiar to her, stories about the old Hokages and the big bad fox demon. And the soft questions she asks, are careful and intelligent, too precocious for her age.

And her poor civilian parents from simple non-shinobi roots realize that their daughter is a genius.

But for the first time in her life, Sakura realizes that her dreams make _sense_. She's from the _future_. She's trembling with this revelation. And all that information carefully stored at the back of her head starts to unravel itself slowly around her brain and begins to make _sense_ of the words on the pages in front of her, down to her muscles and into her fingertips. And a flood of memories return to her, familiarity of the good old Konoha library and the musty shelves and the medical books filled with cryptic drawings of the human body all make her _remember_. And Sakura feels a rush of adrenaline run through her system as a familiar purr of a voice in her head cackles madly.

And she grins in excitement, "Welcome back, Inner."

In a different time, for Sakura, Inner functioned as a sort of imaginary playmate. As she grew up with the decorum and practices that came with being a kunoichi and a girl in the patriarchal ninja society ("kunoichi need to be subtle, no raising your voice, _be subtle"_ ), Inner was her violent mental catharsis. Inner bristled in anger in her defense while she kept up appearances, a pleasant smile peppered on her face.

Inner bubbled with rage at the mean children who teased and teased her for her forehead. Inner helped her prove them all wrong. Inner rumbled with words that she could not say, words she could only stutter. Inner threw Ino out of her mind and allowed her to stand on equal grounds with the other ninjas of her generation. And with Inner, Sakura felt like she could take the world by storm.

So when all of her fevered dreams reminded her of Naruto's last, punctuating words, to make the future _better_. When all her friends, and the people she'd known in another life were eerie copies of what she remembers. Inner kept her sane. When she sees dead men walking the streets. When she realizes that she holds several futures in her hands, because Konoha is a village created out of bonds. And these bonds are so volatile, crackling with the will of fire. Because, the old Hokages dreamed of futures where ninja stood side by side. And Sakura realizes the weight of this tremendous burden upon her little shoulders. Because she doesn't know what catastrophes she could cause. But Inner _reminds_ her to stand her ground.

Because Inner is the only fragment of precious sanity in the wake of this hellish world.

 _A/N: So I tried a timetravel story, out of the several botched attempts at scenarios- several including Sakura being found in a forest or whatever, I realized that I really wanted something pre-massacre and definitely still Sakura-centric. Because while insane god-mode powers aren't Sakura's forte- her intelligence can help her win more battles, so I'm trying ha. I've got a scant few ideas to throw around, I'm mostly playing around with the rough edges that Kishi left unpolished in his plot. I'm a new fanfiction writer, so I'm absolutely awful at getting this right. I keep coming back, re-reading and changing grammatical errors. Do leave a comment telling me how horrible this is or if you have any ideas to solve the muddle that the Uchiha massacre is. Or if you just want to talk about Sakura's character or say Hi or tell me what the weather's like- that's all fine._


	2. Chapter 2

**I own nothing.**

 **One of my lovely reviewers pointed out some flaws in this chapter with Fugaku's character, and they were spot on. I've decided to change it ever so slightly so it will fit with the rest of the story.**

Dawn peeked over the horizon at Konoha. Everyone was positively blubbering with energy, setting up their little shops and street stalls to sell their items. Shop keepers swept their front, and their store fronts were repainted with happier bright colors. This week was not an ordinary week, it was a time for celebration after long dreary days awaiting an attack from another village. But people were more hopeful these days, looking forward to better days to come.

Danzo always loved watching the prosperous village the best in the morning, everyone was exuberant, even more so lately. He enjoyed the village best like this. Brimming with prosperity and power, because after all, he was a man after only the best for his village.

It also reminded him of his goal. One day, he would always think, he would be in charge of all of this.

"So tell me," he said, observing a bantering couple as they set up their fruit shop, the ANBU guard beside him perked up, "What do you think of this alliance."

The man sounded slightly unsure.

"I think," he started slowly, "It's a good thing, Danzo-sama. We've been under bad terms for so long. I think we'll be peaceful."

"Of course," he said, "Sarutobi may think of peace. But I think of benefit. What do you think we can _gain_ from this alliance?"

The guard shifted lightly in thought, "I suppose… better prosperity?"

Danzo nodded approvingly, "Increased prosperity. Yes, we can work with that."

* * *

"That was bad positioning, Sasuke."

Sasuke wrinkled his nose in frustration with a glare that oddly reminded Itachi of a yelping puppy.

"I'm trying _hard._ " He fumed, stamping his foot for added effect, "You keep telling me my positioning is bad, my arm angle is bad, everything is bad!"

"Again Sasuke," Itachi sighed, walking up to the board and ripping out the shuriken that was comically peppered everywhere but not the small red circle in the middle, "Your positioning is awful. It's throwing the shuriken off its course. Not to mention, if you don't get this right. You won't be able to nail a moving target."

He held out the blunted shuriken to his brother, who clamped on one of them before trying again. The shuriken ended up hitting the ground, meters away from the target board. Before either brother could respond, a shrill giggle interrupted them. They both turned to look at a girl who beating the ground with laughter.

Itachi frowned slightly, the girl did not look like someone from his family or clan for that matter. He'd never seen her around before. And he hadn't even noticed her come up to them. She looked about Sasuke's age, a petite little thing with awfully shocking pink hair and pretty green eyes. He glanced over to his brother who had turned a bright shade of red.

"You!" Sasuke pointed at the girl angrily, "What are _you_ doing here?"

Itachi concluded silently that she was probably a playmate of his brothers from the park, who had somehow wormed her way past the guards.

"Who woulda thought," the girl continued, wiping mock tears from her eyes, "that you are actually pretty awful at throwing shuriken. I mean even a girl like me could throw better than you." She waggled a thin eyebrow at his brother who looked like he was going to blow steam from the ears.

"Oh yeah? I can't believe that." He huffed again, folding his arms, "What would a _girl_ know about throwing shuriken?"

Itachi looked between the two of them with raised eyebrows, "Sasuke, are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"She's not my friend," said his brother sending him a glare, "She's just some girl who said s-she-."

"I'm going to be his future wife," the girl interrupted his flustered brother, placing her hands on her hips authoritatively, "I suppose that you are his brother, it's only _natural_ that I get to meet the rest of Sasuke's family. Hello, future brother-in-law."

She held out a hand towards him which he took with raised eyebrows. She was a four year old. A four year old proclaiming marriage to his brother. Good grief, what are they teaching children these days. It brought images of pink-haired babies to mind, shocking pink hair that screamed like Sasuke. He didn't know whether to be amused at his brother's ire or incredulous with the girl's audacity. But then again, he too had his own share of fan-girls back in the academy.

"And you are?" He settled politely, taking her smaller hand and giving it a soft shake, vaguely wondering where the girl's parents were.

"Sa-ku-ra Ha-ru-no," she enunciated, "But unfortunately, Sasuke, I don't like guys who are _weaker_ than me-," Sasuke stiffened and glared at her, "-after all, I can _obviously_ throw shuriken better than you."

Itachi decided on amused, he was definitely amused with this Sakura girl. But he tried not to laugh when his little brother swiped another shuriken from his palm and jabbed it in her direction.

"Prove it," he hissed. Itachi was reminded of a growling puppy.

Sakura calmly took the shuriken from him, and with ease, dropped into a textbook elementary stance for shuriken throwing. And then, before either brother could blink, there was a _thunk_ , and lo and behold, there, starkly in the middle of the large red dot, was the shuriken.

Itachi furrowed his brow thoughtfully. He'd never heard of a prominent Haruno in the village before.

"Impressive," He said softly, "Where did you learn that?"

"I read," She declared, "I like reading about ninjas. And my future goal is to find a strong ninja husband. I heard that the Uchiha clan was the best so _obviously_ Sasuke here was going to be my future husband. However," she shook her head regrettably, "I think I was wrong. Maybe the Naras are better."

Before Itachi could defend the Uchiha name and placate his younger brother's pride, Sasuke himself, grabbed another shuriken from him and aimed, a second later, the shuriken was closer to the red circle.

Itachi raised an eyebrow in surprise. The girl looked at the board with slight approval.

"You are okay," she said nodding her little head, "I will be watching your practice. To see if of course, you are worthy of being my future husband. But I have to go now. My family desires my appearance."

She skipped away, leaving a bemused Itachi and a fuming Sasuke, who decided to stick his tongue in her general direction. Itachi noticed that on his fifth try, his brother was doing much better. Slightly impressed and still amused with his brother's antics, he couldn't help but feel that things were going to be slightly interesting around here.

* * *

As the head of the Konoha's Law enforcement and clan head, Fugaku Uchiha was very exhausted. The day had been taxing, he had to increase security around the village on the Hokage's orders for the coming diplomatic visit. After bickering with several people, and then some- he felt like considering an early retirement. Not at least until Itachi turns sixteen, he told himself. He stumbled into his office quarters that evening to finish up more work and then realized with a jolt, he wasn't alone.

He looked over to a figure of a woman, who was leaning against the wall, and watching him. She had her chakra suppressed, and it explained how he could only sense only three chakra signatures in his home. Sasuke's chakra was bouncing in the room next door, followed by Mikoto and Itachi. He felt slightly sick at the thought of his family or his own demise because of his inattentiveness.

Activating his sharingan quickly, he hissed in anger, "Who are you and what are you doing here?" He had his kunai up and drawn in a defensive yet tense posture- ready to attack, ready to defend his home at all costs.

The woman wore a mask over her face and a hood over her head. The rest of her appearance was clad in black, blending in neatly against the shadows of his office. She shifted her weight to the other foot as she pushed herself off the wall.

"Relax," she said, "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to talk. Please have a seat Uchiha-san."

And with that, she reached into her pocket and dropped her own kunai and tanto onto his desk. He didn't relent even after her peaceful gesture, narrowing his eyes at her.

"What do you want, kunoichi?"

"Tell me Uchiha-san, how do you feel about the village as it is?" She asked smoothly, as if she just asked him the time of the day or directions to the post-office.

He narrowed his eyes, "Why would this be any of your business?"

"I'm just curious, no? Is there a reason for the Uchiha clan being so withdrawn from the rest of the village? Everyone is so tense around here."

He gripped his kunai. But she merely gestured at her own that was placed lightly on his desk, weighing on the clan documents scattered across the desk.

"Uhuh," she tutted, "I just want to have a talk."

"Who are you, kunoichi? What purpose do you have with the Uchiha?"

She continued shaking her head, "Oh no Uchiha-san. I'm just someone who knows a little too much of everything. And I do know that your clan is upset with the suspicion the village treats them with."

"Are you with the village?" He prodded.

She looked at him directly, "We are both busy people, and you are wasting my time with pointless questions. All you need to know is that I am not with Konoha, at least not directly. I am not a foe. Who I am, is none of your concern- but I can assure you that my interests are in the best of heart."

He didn't say anything, fingering the cool metal of his kunai, contemplating the best way to take her out efficiently. She looked skilled enough to suppress her chakra and fool him, and talk so nonchalantly in his own household, where she could be easily taken out. Or take out his own family, he shivered at the thought.

"I have an alternative for you, for your clan's anger. But you need to understand, the reason for Konoha's anger against your clan for the nine-tails might be misplaced, but nevertheless is rightly directed _towards_ an Uchiha. A supposed Uchiha that you do not know about."

"Kunoichi," he said frowning, his voice dropping cold. "You speak of things that are highly confidential. The information about the nine-tails is not meant to be passed around lightly. Our clan is already blamed enough heavily because of wagging tongues." He thought back to the nurses at the hospital at Kushina's bed. It was bad enough that the council had been passing him snide remarks, but the people around the village were oddly hostile towards his clan. He felt something lurch inside, something cold, something insidious, rise up and wring him. _It just wasn't fair._

"Ah," she said lightly, "Yes, but we'll leave that matter for another day, a better day. I'm here to offer you a proposal, a proposal which you will find highly beneficial."

"And this proposal is?" He asked in a clipped tone, "Do not play games with me, Kunoichi."

"Two days from now, the Raikage has sent a diplomat in his place to sign the documents containing the peace treaty between the Konohagakure and the Kumogakure."

Fugaku frowned and nodded. Ah yes, the cause of his migraine lately.

"I have information, very valuable information. Three days from now, there will be an abduction upon the Hyuugas. You will stop this abduction."

She dropped a scroll on his desk. His eyes snapped to it before they rested on her again. There was something off about this woman, and he couldn't place his finger on it. And it wasn't the intel she was giving him.

"Whether you think my information is false or true is none of my concern. A little extra security never hurt anyone."

He frowned again, "And if I don't act?"

"Oh," she said lightly but he heard a hint of a threat in her voice, "I suppose that will be a problem. Think about the secrets of the Byakugan, being in the hands of the Raikage, something that gave him _so_ much trouble during the war. I don't trust that will end up very well for the village. And by extension that includes your clan, you may be strong but you certainly can't win against an enemy with such an advantage."

He nodded his head slowly, he didn't believe in the peace treaty between the two villages, at least not yet. He realized the implications of yet another war between the two villages. The previous decades had been very bloody. Sarutobi was a fool, a fool who believed in peace. He believed in safety, it was different.

But then again, he didn't have anything to lose either. His job included security and her reasons for this supposed abduction, as much as he hated to admit, were sound. The Raikage _did_ have a lot of trouble with the Hyuuga bloodline.

"And this," she continued, "Will tie the tongues of the council who hold your clan in distrust for now _and_ you will have a powerful ally, the Hyuuga clan in your debt. Think _carefully_ about the future of your clan, Uchiha-san."

He looked at her again, this time unsure, "Whose side are you on?"

Why was she dangling this vital information in front of his nose? Why not just tell the Hokage? Was…she expecting him to utilize this information for his clan's purpose?

She acted as if she never heard him, "The information you need is in that scroll, burn it when you are finished, later then, Uchiha-san. I'm running out of time."

"Oh and one more thing," she said softly, "the kidnapper must be secured _alive_ , he will play as your bargaining piece between the two villages. He's surprisingly quite valuable. Do not under any circumstance kill him. And please use this information wisely, Uchiha-san."

And like that, he watched her form dissipate in a flurry of pink petals.

"It was a clone," he said narrowing his eyes, scanning his office for signs of any other chakra. He looked before the scroll she left on his desk, thoughtfully.

 _A/N: Because I was short sighted, I'm pushing up the Hyuuga incident a year forward (I don't think it affects anything else in the main timeline much anyways). I hope baby Sasucakes and Naruto boo will make up for my lack of ability. The massacre is not completely thwarted as long as Danzo lives, but I intend to continue to play with that plotline. At least that's the plan for now._

 _Sketchbananafairy: Oh dear I've been having problems with that, I just briefly looked over a picture before deciding. I'll go back and change it!_

 _Alice aquabld: You've actually given me quite a few ideas to play around with, thanks so much! I like the fourth option too. As for reverse-harem, as much as I love it, I can't make any promises. But an Uchiha harem is never out of the way *winky face*._


	3. Chapter 3

**I own nothing.**

The sun was shining, the flowers were blooming, the butterflies were fluttering and Sasuke was spluttering- a stream of creatively concocted insults behind her ("fartface, crazy girl, stupid, annoying, _mouth-breather_ "). But Sakura was ecstatic today, and she never felt better about being a twenty-two year old woman in a child's body, skipping down the path and dragging the poor Uchiha behind her.

" _Where_ are we going exactly?" Sasuke asked scowling. But she just merely hummed and grasped his squirmy fingers tighter.

It had been unusually easy getting close to Sasuke. All Sakura had to do, was to keep up appearances as his adorable "little girlfriend". And none of the adults had the heart to break them apart. Her approach to Sasuke prompted a few 'awhs' and some insufferable teasing (well insufferable according to Sasuke anyway).

It was one of those times, when she was actually glad she pink hair, because pink hair brought ideas of cotton candy and girly things. Sakura managed to blend into the environment, overhearing clan politics, information or even some juicy gossip from unsuspecting clan members who barely registered the outsider playing with the clan head's son. But then again, Sakura couldn't blame them, it wasn't every day that a four year old kid ended up being a time traveller.

But today in particular, she had her work set out for her. And that job involved making two less lonely people in the world. When the local kiddie park came in sight, she let go of his hand. He glared at her, catching his breath.

"Hmmmm…" She squinted her eyes and looked around the playground thoughtfully, "Ah!"

And without warning, Sakura grabbed Sasuke's hand again and dragged him again towards a familiar blonde sitting on the swings, a wide space between him and several other children, who were no doubt warned by their own parents, _don't play with that boy even if he hogs the swings, stay away from him._ They barely acknowledged Sakura and looked over at Sasuke suspiciously, these days, Sakura realized, the Uchiha clan was not held in high regard. While people did not display their sentiments of hostility towards the esteemed Uchiha clan openly, they did show a subtle attitude of disapproval.

Really, it explained why the Uchiha clan kept to themselves.

"HEY! HEY! Hey Naruto!" She called, waving to him. His face brightened with happiness.

When Sakura first met Naruto, he was kicking dirt at his feet and looking longingly in the direction of the other children. She marched up to him, introduced herself and stared at him curiously before he gave her a startled, flinched reaction. She felt her insides rip apart.

Sweet Naruto, with his heart of gold, Sakura felt happier than she had in days, because she missed him way too much. Even if he was eons younger, and pudgier. But he was too wary of her, eyeing her for weapons or carefully watching her reactions to him. Those were not the eyes of a happy child. She suspected that this behaviour had to do heavily with his treatment and his poor living conditions in the orphanage. So she felt angered but also determined and continued staring firmly into those confused cerulean eyes. And then, he politely asked her what her problem was, and she politely asked him if she could hug the life out of him.

By the end of the day, the two of them giggling over the shenanigans they had caused and they were both covered with dirt, icky filthy dirt and good god, it was _glorious_. She resolved then, he was _not_ going to be alone this time, and she'd make sure of that- completely.

"S-sakura-chan? I-I thought you forgot about me." He spluttered, and the Uchiha behind her scoffed. She felt her heart skip a beat whenever he called her "Sakura-chan". It just sounded so _Naruto_ and she loved it.

"Naruto! I would never forget you." She cracked into a wide grin. He flushed dramatically. She briefly heard mutters targeted in her direction from the surrounding crowd. She side eyed them and with a brief glimpse, caught sight of Ino. The girl was staring at her. Not with anger, or incredulity but with a blank expression. Sakura decided she'd deal with that later. Now for the task on hand.

"Well", she began, "This is Sasuke," she stuck her thumb towards the Uchiha's general direction, "Wanna play with us?"

He dug his sandaled toes in the sand nervously. "Okay." He gave her a shy smile and she proceeded to happily drag the two of them towards a sandbox.

"I don't have time for this," Sasuke muttered audibly folding his arms, "I have to train to be a strong ninja not play with you two idiots. I'm an Uchiha."

Naruto perked up and narrowed his eyes at the boy, "Whatcha say? I'm _gunna_ be the greatest Hokage ever and I'm _gunna_ kick your fat butt, you better believe it!"

Sasuke snorted in derision, and Sakura turned to the two boys with raised eyebrows, laughter threatening to split on her face.

"I bet you don't even _know_ what a shuriken _is_ ," Sasuke sneered, " _Dobe_." He added with an afterthought. Sakura thought someone had hit her with a stone to the gut.

"OH yeah!? Well I _betcha_ you don't know either, _and_ you don't know how to swing higher than me." And the two four year olds were glaring daggers at each other.

" _Bring it_!" Sasuke growled. His little fists rising up to the challenge, veins throbbing dramatically.

Sakura looked at the two of them with slight awe as they stomped up to the two unoccupied swings, kicking up sand in their wake. Their angry kitten killing intent radiating in every direction. She could not stop whimpers of giggles when they both proceeded to swing higher than the other, engrossed in taunting the other. And maybe it was because of the sheer nostalgia that was overwhelming her, she felt smooth happy tears run down her cheeks. Neither of them realized that the crowd was looking at them with a mix of confusion, anger and concern as they monopolized the swings on the playground.

But then again, it had always been Team Seven against the world. Even if they weren't her Naruto and Sasuke, they were still Naruto and Sasuke- destined for eternal rivalry. That alone brought her comfort. They just needed their dear old, lazy porn-loving Sensei to complete the picture and Sakura could imagine nothing more _beautiful_.

"You both really really _suck_ ," she whispered through gritted teeth and choking sobs, "But I love you two a lot. And dammit, let's _stay_ that way."

By the end of a day, the three of them lay on the grass, exhausted and bickering. And Sakura still felt silly and happy while she just conveniently forgot all her problems, when she indulged their silly conversations about poop, ice cream and sillier conversation topics that followed.

She was going to make things better. She was going to give both of these idiots a better future.

* * *

In the grand scheme of things, there were some actions and demands that always reminded Danzo of a simple principle in his universe. The ends justified the means, no matter how cruel those means were. He did what he could for Konoha. He always did. And he always wanted the best for his village, and that included scrounging the dirt, ripping the weeds because that was exactly what his job was. These days, there was a sore weed sticking out at him impudently- right in front of his nose and it was that Uchiha clan. And well he adored their power as much as he hated them. Proud, insufferable bastards, the whole lot of them.

And yet, there was the current clan head, chatting amiably with the Hyuuga clan head- with a sort of… comradery, which had not been present before this incident. The thought of the two clans in cohorts made his blood run cold.

The Uchiha head had gotten an anonymous tip-off, one that included information of the betrayal of the Kumogakure diplomat, and as a result of his actions, the entire Kumogakure envoy was detained upon suspicion. And he had been right. Konoha, courtesy of the Uchiha head's idea, proposed that they should return the envoy safely on account of a peace treaty between the two villages, their insidious actions condoned and an oncoming war safely averted.

It was a difficult move, because the Raikage would have been calling hell upon Konoha for harming one of their most important leaders. But the Raikage was a war-monger and unpredictable. Which led them to the current spectacle, seated around the meeting room, the two council elders, the Jounin Commander- Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, the Hyuuga clan leader, the Uchiha rat, himself and Sarutobi. The last thirty minutes had been sore. They had been at it, back and forth, throwing clan accusations over the simple matter of whether or not, a thorough interrogation (and possible torture) of the Cloud envoy would reveal their long time enemy's secrets and prepare them for another attack from the Cloud.

Because his peace treaty be damned, it was a beautiful farce anyways. Danzo always thought that the Raikage was a blubbering fool.

"He's an important person, Hokage-sama," Danzo interjected with slight irritation, "If we can extort information about the cloud village, don't you think that this would fare well upon us in case the Raikage breaks his word?"

The Uchiha sighed and folded his arms in defeat. He was have normally agreed with this view, but they were _trying_ their damned hardest not to provoke retaliation.

"Danzo," Sarutobi began with a sigh, "We need to think of peace. This is _not_ an easy feat, I do not want Kumogakure to feel threatened."

Danzo felt a bout of irritation. Sarutobi and his talks of peace would have him pushing up daisies soon.

"Shimura-san, with all due respect," began the Nara rubbing his temples, "This decision is far too _extreme_ and dangerous, while the Cloud village's information is valuable-please think of the outrage when we ask for a peace treaty, then resort to violent mind games with their own leader."

Danzo did not miss the veiled insinuation.

"We could cast a complex memory jutsu upon him, he'll come up with something else, we would drive Cloud into a corner," Danzo countered smoothly.

"Maybe so," Nara said softly, "But even a complex memory jutsu will be undone. It's still a risky act. Thankfully, the Raikage realizes his position right now, and hasn't responded to anything but for the safe withdrawal of his leader."

"The Byakugan will be threatened," Danzo added with a look in the Hyuuga's direction, dropping his tone, "What implications would that pose for the Hyuugas?"

It was Hiashi Hyuuga who answered this time, "Uchiha-san and I have discussed increased security and co-dependence surrounding our clans. While I understand your concerns, Shimura-san, I do believe that we also need to consider trusting the Raikage to his word."

Danzo narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the Uchiha. Why did it seem like everything was working towards his favor? He seemed oddly happy. Did all of them forget the threat that wrecked their village a mere four years ago?

"I agree, we can all work _towards_ peace," the Yamanaka added in softly, "I think Shimura-san's idea should not be blown completely out of the water. Interrogating this official, given that he has information, information which the Raikage values heavily-."

"We can risk an attack, Inoichi, should he not keep up his end of the bargain," Nara lazily interrupted his friend who raised an eyebrow, "You all forget that we have two of the great doujutsu in our control, the Sharingan and the Byakugan. This alone allows us to turn the tides of the battle."

Fugaku looked at the Nara with a slightly mollified expression. Hiashi nodded his head in approval.

"Can I suggest an idea, Hokage-sama?" Fugaku began, "A compromise between Shimura-san's idea and yours? Why don't I use the sharingan to coerce information from the envoy? After all, it _is_ the strongest hypnotising device."

The table looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"And also it would not be out of limits, our standard torture procedures would leave our dear envoy traumatized and aware, but with the Sharingan- we can write it off as a simple retaliation to the threat that they proposed. It wouldn't harm anyone."

There was silence, but Danzo was secretly seething. Ah, the usefulness of the Sharingan pops up again. The Hokage had not allowed the Sharingan near the T&I department after the attack on the nine-tails, and now the Uchiha was pushing that limit?

The Hokage frowned before adding with a bright smile, "That sounds like an excellent option, Fugaku-san."

There was something off about the entire situation. His battle worn instincts were screaming at him. There was something or _someone_ else beneath all of this. The envoy had been suspected, interrogated _too_ smoothly- and there was _something_ about that anonymous tip that the Uchiha had refused to give away. And Danzo was going to find out who it was.

Because his instincts _never_ proved wrong.

* * *

Sakura was doing sit ups that night, when a tall figure leaned over the frame of her window and let themselves in casually.

"Hey," the figure who sounded like a woman nodded at her.

"Sup," Sakura responded nonchalantly, "50…" she muttered and flopped on her back with a sigh.

"Only 50?" the woman scoffed, "Tsunade-shishou made us do 300."

She proceeded to take off her mask, long pink hair tumbled out, and green eyes regarded her lazily.

"I don't have that kind of body yet, ya know. Surely a medic like us knows what body strain is," Sakura opened a bleary eye at her older counterpart, "Besides, I'm just four and three quarters, I've been training for months, and I am simultaneously allowing a clone to exist." The older woman eyed the book that was scattered four feet from her titled " _Exercises for kids!_ "

"Yeah, yeah…" Her older counterpart muttered, "You need to increase your chakra reserves too, its holding both of us back and I've managed to handle this clone for fifteen minutes tops, I swear, this time limit sucks ass."

"Show me," Sakura sighed, and the woman in front of her broke apart into a thousand cherry blossoms, Sakura felt the memories rush through her.

"Not a bad job, Inner." She said leaning back with a fond smile, "At least he's doing okay."

 **Yeah well, whatever, Kakashi's 'not a bad job either'. He nearly fucking got me pinned with his kunai, Shanaroo! Fucking sharp old coot, I** ** _swear to_** **-.**

"That's good, I just wanted to see how my dear old sensei was doing," Sakura frowned, "So, I think this Hyuuga and Uchiha relationship might be something that will keep the elders off their case for a while, what do you think?"

 **I wouldn't relax so soon. Danzo's gonna play Itachi like a fiddle soon. It's not like the Hyuuga have any power over that decision.**

"I know," Sakura groaned, "We need to deal with that rat before Itachi comes into contact with him."

 **Well he technically can't give the order unless the** ** _entire_** **council supports the decision.**

"Yeah well, so far, that decision is _entirely_ contingent upon the coup idea itself. You realize Fugaku would _have_ to decide on the coup for Itachi to turn betray his clan? When was that in the original timeline? Two years from now? Not to mention, I've had this annoying nagging feeling about all of this."

 **Well outer, that nagging feeling might be me, you're bloody welcome.** Sakura rolled her eyes at her sadistic inner personality and started doing push ups. **I hope this new development builds some sense of trust between the clan and the village. Maybe they'll have cute arranged marriages and shit. Maybe Sasuke and Hinata will have little overpowered babies. And can you imagine what they'd look like? Have some mercy, shanarrooooo!**

"Right, right," Sakura nodded with a light cackle, "You realize that they might actually go about with the coup with a stronger ally?"

 **You think the Hyuugas will betray the village? I don't know if we've just made things worse or better. And you realize they can control damned Kurama with the Sharingan too? Naruto will be in trouble.**

"Yeah, I know somehow I feel like Uchiha have one thing in common, and that is giving us some sort of pain, timeline be damned."

 **Right? And I'm sure they all _love_ it. **

Sakura ignored Inner and continued on more forcefully. "I think we need allies _within_ the clan or something, if that happens," she suggested thoughtfully, "And I don't know if it's going to be Itachi. He trusts the Hokage too much _and_ he's a wee bit still traumatized from the war. And that's why he was manipulated in the first place."

 **Well, what are our options besides Sasuke or Itachi?**

"I'm working on that, dammit. Anyways so here are our options, we are _going_ to have to impeach Danzo from his position somehow, _or_ expose Madara as the traitor Uchiha," Sakura said firmly.

Inner and outer both let out a resounding sigh in exasperation. Sakura nursed her headache, sorting through two different accounts of the day's events. But vaguely she was still thinking about her current predicament. Danzo, while his actions were absolutely awful, did have a certain sound reasoning. The Uchiha clan were threats, and capable of influencing the Nine-tails. It was still crudely executed however, and Sakura understood that she needed to quell that hatred or her beloved village would end up in flames...again. The only two Uchihas left in her world, Sasuke would have never done anything to Naruto, and Itachi was still loyal to Konoha. And Madara, well, that ended up well.

She briefly thought to an encounter that she did have with the boy in her future. Where he laughed with all the cynical bitterness that his blackened heart could muster, asking Kakashi and her to bring back his family. But at what cost? The added burden of taking care of Naruto's future also bothered her. She could only imagine distant enemies beyond the village, tracing their patterns of movement through her mind's eye. And quite frankly, it was overwhelming.

"Hey Inner?"

 **What?**

"Why the hell did Naruto-baka have to send _us_ back of all people?"

 _A/N: Three updates in a single week? But when your reviews started pouring in, I got really excited and had to indulge you all. Did you know that you can actually get things done faster with Beyonce? *Hums Irreplaceable while writing Danzo's part*. Danzo's a difficult character to write. Any insight on him would be fun, because I find him a mix of a hypocrite and an interesting villain- with a tragic flaw. But I do find him quite reasonable too, albeit crude. Naruto in general would have been brilliant if Kishimoto-sensei didn't just slap massacres lightly to develop Sasuke's character or even emotional torture via the Tsukiyomi and then pull a 180 on Itachi. But that's a different story. Hmmm. I'm really tempted to include some Inosaku friendship, involving some fists, hair and mud, because honestly, the two of them are just so fucking endearing, I'm sobbing mad tears. I'm excited to write Shisui too, because he needs more love and because I have a soft spot for him and Obito. I have college this week, and mid terms coming up, so I think I'll be preoccupied. Thank you for reading!_

 _Iloveyourstories: I love dogs, Chihuahuas especially, do kidnap me. I agree, Sakura time-travel stories are precious but rare. Especially warring era stories, I might try my hand at that one, but I'm not super confident. I think IzunaSakura would be hot, because those aren't found easily. Thank you! I'm glad that you liked it._

 _JollyLoser: Thank you, I'm really glad you liked it._

 _Suzululu4moe: I will include Mama Uchiha spanking him just for that comment because I laughed too hard. I adore Narusaku too, canon Sasusaku kind of leaves me with twisty conflicted feelings, but fanfiction Sasusaku is just gorgeous_

 _Kohai: Thank you! Yes I realized that after a lot more research on forums and threads, and I kind of have a few ideas to throw around._

 _Shannon Rei D. Summer: Aha, I can't make any promises about Danzo, but I promise a painful death, maybe? Haha, surprisingly, I have no idea where Sakura's character came out of, and I loved it. I was going to stick to a more angsty version of her- in line with the previous chapter's mood, not the slightly devil-may-care attitude she adopted. But I figured why the hell not. And I love it haha._


	4. Chapter 4

**I OWN NOTHING.**

"What's the hell is he doing in here?"

"Weren't those Uchiha copy-cats supposed to stay away from this place?"

"Shh, quieten down you fools, he's the clan _head_ of those copy-cats, _and_ he can hear you."

Fugaku hated the look of the T&I department. It had pristine, white walls, only because the color makes you think of nothing but your dirty crimes smeared on them. He remembered sitting in this very room, cuffed by Ibiki Morino, who circled him like a predator, waiting for those walls to close in on him. _Do you know how much we lost how much of our forces we lost because of the Nine-tails, Uchiha?_

 _It's just not fair._ Nausea gathered at the pit of his stomach. He tightened his lips.

But if the Sandaime accompanying him noticed anything, he was kind enough not to mention it. The elderly Hokage was silent.

"Are you ready Uchiha-san?" One of the guards asked warily, he opened the cell in front of him

"Good luck," the Hokage bid him with a steely glint in his eye. Fugaku didn't meet his eyes.

One of the men in the white coats started setting the recorder, before leaving, it sounded offhandedly like a jeering laugh. Fugaku steeled his face steadily. He nodded and turned towards the envoy, who was sitting on his bed.

"Ah, who's this?" He asked lazily.

Fugaku looked at him, "Good day."

"How's the weather?" the man grinned eerily.

His name was Goui. He was around his forties, with baggy eyes but overall better health than most T&I prisoners. But he looked weaker.

The man's reports said he had been refusing meals. The man _did_ know his place, and how important he was to Konoha. With the loss of the Yellow flash in the previous generation, they were trying not to start another war. He probably knew he was the key. And the act of starvation was a threat to let him go.

Fugaku frowned, if Konoha's enemies knew they were threatened by the notion of war, they would be pushed up a wall. This man knew that they didn't, _no_ they _weren't_ ready to fight. _Think wisely about the future of your clan, Uchiha-san._ This man was dangerous. _You all forget that we have two of the greatest doujutsu in our control, the Sharingan and the Byakugan._ He slid his eyes briefly to his left at the mirrored window of the interrogation room where the Hokage was watching. _This alone allows us to turn the tides of the battle._

He slid his gaze back to the man.

"Not too bad," he began politely, "How are you doing today?"

The man's eyes briefly flickered in confusion, almost as if he was expecting something else. Fugaku just calmly regarded him in response.

"I'm doing well," the man replied slowly.

"That's great to hear, I hope Konoha's treating you well." Fugaku said softly. A brief look of confusion flashed over the man's face.

"The best," he replied, his tone slipping into some sort of a diplomatic tone, "I don't suppose you are here for small talk, are you?"

"Goui-san," Fugaku began evenly, "After the atrocious act that you performed, we are _very_ concerned about our treaty with your village. I have also noticed that your chakra levels are low…is the food not to your liking?"

Fugaku snapped his fingers, and a guard entered the room. A covered dish in his hands, it was a simple dish of barbequed pork and a steaming bowl of noodles. He set it in front of the man.

"Its…fine…" He replied evenly.

"Oh?" Fugaku asked, "Please help yourself."

The man eyed his plate again. Fugaku merely watched him. The man's face flickered in surprise, his eyes flickered back at him. Something squirmed in his bowl. He then looked back at Fugaku and then back at his bowl. Was he imagining things?

He chose to keep his mouth shut.

"I don't understand, is there any food in particular you would like?" Fugaku asked carefully, "How about we talk about things you would like to talk about."

The man pursed up his lips. Suddenly the room filled with a vague clattering noise. The man looked around the room suspiciously and then back at Fugaku who cast him a concerned look.

"Is something wrong?"

"What are you leaf-nin up to?" He asked.

"I do not understand," Fugaku frowned at him, "Is something wrong? I suggest you eat, you'll feel better. Starving yourself does strange things to the mind, Goui-san."

He cast a glance at his food, picked up his chopsticks and proceeded forward to pick up several long strands of gleaming noodles and bring them to his mouth. They smelled delicious enough. _Just this once,_ he told himself.

He widened his eyes when he felt something tickle his tongue, something prick it and he spat it out in fear, looking at the bowl. He gazed at a tiny centipede, it's tiny back glistening, squirming around in the soup. Sickened and snarling, he looked up at Fugaku who just looked taken aback.

"What's wrong? You've been acting strange Goui-san."

He glanced back at his bowl, the noodles glistened as they swirled lazily. Nothing in sight.

"I'll…eat later…" Goui said slowly, pushing the bowl away from him. There was some ringing alarm in his ears, but he steeled his face, years as a diplomat for the Raikage had taught him that.

"So, tell me about your village? How is the weather?"

"Cool temperatures," he replied easily, he felt his chakra concealing braces slowly.

"I see," Fugaku replied evenly, "How about the people? I hear that cloud has festivals this time of the year, as well."

The walls seemed to be echoing him, but there was something else in the undertones of Fugaku's voice that he heard a hint of, a woman's wailing.

He looked up alert, "Yes, the festival are very excitable..." His eyes darted around him, the room seemed to grow cold.

"How interesting, perhaps if our peace treaty goes through, I may be able to visit Cloud at this time of the year," Fugaku brought the tea in front of him to his lips. The man narrowed his eyes at the sight, watching a little red splotch ran down the side of his mouth. Fugaku gracefully wiped it away and settled the clear liquid down.

He blinked his eyes.

"I don't understand, Goui-san?" Fugaku asked concerned, suddenly there was a soft cry in the undertones of his voice, and Goui froze in shock. _Daddy?_

"No…" he narrowed his eyes, "No, nothing."

"You haven't eaten in days, Goui san," Fugaku settled his head on his hands, "All of us soldiers know the torments of war…well." _Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy!_

Goui felt himself, grow numb, no his daughter, his daughter couldn't be here. He was in Konoha. He kept his eyes on the man in front of him suspiciously.

"Yes, that may be so," he said, "I'm sorry, but your food is not to our liking…" He flicked his eyes back to Fugaku only to see his Raikage in his place, eyes looking at him dangerously.

"Oh then, perhaps we could replicate the food in Kumogakure, we will not fail to have it arranged," he seemed to say, his voice oddly vague, "I do not care for the treaty, get the purest Hyuuga bloodline, we will need it for the project."

He widened his eye and blinked again, Fugaku back in his place, calmly sipping his tea, "I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

"I'm sure you won't enjoy the consequences if you fail, no," his Raikage said with a sneer, "The project is going to be one of our finest and greatest achievements."

"What the hell?" He muttered. Fugaku looked at him in alarm. Was he seeing things, he thought carefully, was this some sort of genjutsu? No, no genjutsu shouldn't have been this sharp.

"Because understanding the Iron Sand would require…abilities," His Raikage said, "And Konoha's Hyuuga clan has them. I understand that you have a daughter, Goui?"

He focused his eyes back on Fugaku who was frowning at him.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?"

"I'm tired," he replied shakily, "Please, leave…me." He said. Fugaku nodded at him, and the cloud envoy slumped back in fear. He did not even notice the empty table in front of him.

"If you need anything," He nodded, "Please let us know."

And with that, the door shut, and Fugaku's eyes swirled lazily with the sharingan as he looked down at the ground, deep in thought.

"Are you done, Uchiha-san?" The Sandaime Hokage asked him. He looked up to the room of slightly suspicious guards. Ibiki was watching him with an unimpressed look, leaning against the wall.

"Of course," he said, his eyes lingering on Ibiki a bit longer as his eyes swirled back into black.

* * *

"Daddy!"

Kizashi Haruno barely had a second to blink before something pink barreled into his stomach, he fell on his hindquarters and groaned in pain.

"Ah my back! Good grief, darling you have so much energy." He muttered, steadying himself. He looked at his daughter fondly and tousled her hair. Sakura nuzzled her nose into his t-shirt happily with a grin plastered on her face, her tiny arms barely squeezing his ribcage. Her mother chuckled as she watched them on the side, leaning against the table.

"What gives?" He asked, his eyes twinkling.

Sakura plucked herself off before looking at both of her parents carefully, hands nervously behind her back- just like when she was younger, and afraid of answering a question in class. They beamed back at her. Her heart sunk with the weight of the words that she was about to say.

"So uh, mommy, daddy, I'm turning five soon…and soon I'll be turning six," she had to weigh her words carefully, very carefully, "I just wanted to tell you both-" she breathed in quickly, her hands growing clammy, "-I want to be a Kunoichi!"

There was a thick pause in the living room before her mother set down the cup.

"No," she replied and looked away.

 **Well, that was fast.** Sakura sighed. She never did remember how she managed to convince her parents that she wanted to become a kunoichi. But she did remember it involved a lot of tantrums, arguments and banging doors. Because, mother and daughter both shared the same abrasive temper and they both tasted fire from the friction.

"But mommy, listen-," she started in again, placing a watery pout on her lips.

"You cannot become a kunoichi," her mother interrupted her, a rather forced smile on her lips, "Why don't you play upstairs for a bit while I have a talk with your father?"

"Mommy," she began slowly, "I need you to listen to me, _please_."

Her father looked down at her. His eyes were brimming with disappointment. And Sakura felt a painful jab in her stomach. Getting punched by her former teacher felt like a tickle compared to this. Because she felt so hopeless again. _It's all my fault_. Like someone turned on a switch. She tasted blood.

"I promise to eat my vegetables and drink all my milk. I promise not to stay out too late. I promise to help you around the house more. I promise to work hard in school. I promise to listen to you and dad more," her throat ached, her voice cracked with each resolution. Her mother looked at her with a flicker of confusion in her eyes. She smelled the singing flames, the smoke filled her nostrils and the burning temperatures licked her wounded skin.

"I promise to not make you worry. I promise to take care of myself better. I promise to do all my chores," She felt like she was suffocating.

Her mother's eyes looked at her with a flicker of green mist. Her father watched her carefully.

"I promise to grow up to be a _strong_ woman. I promise to make you and daddy _proud_ as a _strong_ Kunoichi." Her body shivered and her voice came out strong with conviction, like a little earthquake breaking through the cracks of her lips. There was so much blood, so much blood everywhere. _You are not worthy of being a leaf kunoichi, not after what you did! How could you?!_ Blood on the floor, blood in her hands. Blood. Blood. Fire. Blood. _Fire._

"Sakura-chan," her father called out to her noticing his daughter's shivering. Both parents moved towards her. Suddenly it seemed like she wasn't talking to them anymore. Because something was off about her.

But Sakura didn't listen, she kept going on. She felt like she was crumbling. "I promise not to be useless! I promise that I won't betray _anyone._ I promise to save _everyone_." Raging flames crackled in her pained, dazed eyes. Konoha was burning. And she felt the toxic gases fill up her lungs, the acrid smell of burning bodies.

Blood. Fire. Blood. Fire. **_WAKE THE FUCK UP!_**

"I promise not to _die_ ," She screamed. Both of them stopped still in their tracks.

But that was the only promise she could not keep. Not in this timeline, not in the other.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke loved tomatoes. It was his favourite vegetable. If tomatoes were even vegetables. Sakura told him that they were fruits, but he did not want to think about _her_ right now. He rubbed his tiny little fingers together and stared at his soup with sparkling eyes and watering mouth. Soon-.

A pair of hands swiped them from. Right _under_ his nose.

Sasuke twitched an eye and glanced over with a twitching vein. He heard a cackle and with all the might that his tiny throat could muster, he bellowed.

" _Shisui!_ "

The mop head had the audacity to look at him so casually and raise his hand half way with a grin, "Yo Sasuke- _kuuun_! Thanks for the soup!"

Sasuke lunged forward at him while he danced around, dodging the younger child, gingerly balancing the bowl. Mikoto Uchiha walked in with a stack of plates balanced precariously on one arm, a bunch of towels in the other, when she was suddenly charged at by the two boys. They were soon circling her giddy figure, Sasuke trying to latch onto Shisui with a furious glare, and the latter teasing him with glee, breaking his line of sight. They both almost caused her to almost to drop her items in surprise. It was only years of shinobi training that allowed her to retain control over the items. She beamed at Shisui who was dodging Sasuke's vain attempts to "teach him a lesson".

"Ara? Shisui's back from the mission already?"

"Yep! Hiya Auntie Mikoto!" He grinned while deftly pecking her left cheek and dodging Sasuke who was yelling at him "Get back here!"

"Got to go, Uncle Fugaku's gonna _kill_ me for skipping the meeting last time!" Mikoto laughed as he flickered away, and then turned to Sasuke who was scowling bitterly.

"C'mon, he's just hungry from all that traveling. I'll get you another bowl."

The younger boy was appeased by the prospect and nodded his head fervently. Mikoto looked over at him with warm delight.

"Sasuke, keep your voice down," Fugaku Uchiha walked into the room, rubbing his temples and looking at his son disapprovingly. His wife and son turned to greet him. He settled down at the dining table.

"Tough day?" His wife asked tentatively. Fugaku just looked at her quietly before nodding absentmindedly. Sasuke snuck a glance at his father over his tomato soup, and continued his attempts at ineffectually cooling it.

"How's your training going Sasuke?" Fugaku asked him. Sasuke perked up.

"It's going 'kay." He replied excitedly, and speaking really fast, "'tachi said I can now learn more of his shuriken moves! I'm getting better!"

"That's good Sasuke, you will have to catch up to Itachi."

And Mikoto's gaze lingered on Sasuke momentarily, before smiling.

 _A/N: Wow, if I tuned up the angst wayy too fast? I'll blame Linkin Park. That shit gets me through all-nighters. I'm not too happy with this chapter, but then again, I'm getting better, I swear. I think I scrapped and rewrote things like three times, till I had something that I was at least a teensy bit satisfied with. Just a note, I changed chapter two and three a teeny bit, just a slight adjustment to Fugaku's character thanks to a gracious reviewer who pointed out a slight character flaw. Fugaku's character is kind of boring tbh, stiff necked military characters usually are. So I was like eh, why the hell not? And teasing Sasuke is my guilty pleasure lololol. Also, I noticed that I can't reply to guests, but thanks for uhm sticking with this story, I'm kind of swamped- no really. FIFTY plus follows, I'm sobbing mad. No really.  
_


	5. Chapter 5

**I own nothing.**

The young boy squirmed uncomfortably under the scratchy material of the blindfold. He hummed under his breath, it was a soft tune, melodious and quiet- he did not know where it came from, but perhaps a memory, perhaps a former life.

They had been walking for a while however. He called out to the man in front of him.

"Uhm, root-san? Where are we going?"

The man ignored him, Kabuto scowled. But he was used to it anyways. The boy assumed from the earthy scent, the damp air and the echoing scuffle of dirt under his feet that he was being led underground.

And oddly, he wondered if the tunnel would fall in on him.

Eventually following some stream of thought, he found himself imagining the sharp curve of his scalpel inside the body of the man in front of him. He performed careful incisions, eased in with chakra- so it wouldn't infect, whispering the names of the pipes connected with the heart, under his breath.

The root quickened his pace.

Kabuto had these odd quirks about him that he liked to employ to keep sane. Of course, he never acted upon them. Goodness, he certainly wouldn't like washing the blood out of his fingernails.

The man stopped and the blindfolded boy nearly bumped into him.

He frowned and tilted his head into the direction of a series of patterned knocks against wood. There was a response, a creak of a hinge, a shift of wood. Someone had reached behind his head and slipped their hands through the knot- undoing the blindfold.

He reached for his glasses and put them on, blinking as he looked around the focusing room. The light from the single candle shifted the shadows of the objects around it in eerie geometric patterns, stretching and pulling as the flame flickered.

Kabuto shifted his eyes over to the boy who was gagged and flanked between two members, clad in crisp black outfits, head to toe- barely revealing their eyes. The boy was unconscious, his headband was stripped from his head, but he looked to be about Kabuto's age he was tied up, from the pattern of his uniform, he was wearing a standard Kumogakure outfit, worn out, tattered from his ordeal.

He really looked beaten up, and it looked like the boy put up quite a bit of a struggle. There were darkened bruises littered along his arms, and from their sizes, he concluded that the boy was a brawler- lacking weapons. He looked back at the man in front of him, looking for an explanation.

"Danzo-sama," he started slowly, with a respectful bow.

Because blindfolds, secret passages under the earth, violence and silence was the language of the root. And fear was the structure that held them together. So he felt a light shiver, being in the presence of the man who could determine his death with a flick of a wrist.

And sometimes as much as he hated it, he realized that his options were seriously limited.

The elder looked up at him through one beady eye, scanning him for a few seconds before talking. The man had a layer of bandages on the table next to him. He was clutching the other eye and Kabuto noted the stress lines through the gaps of his fingers, his right eye was shut.

"Yakushi, I have some very important work for you."

* * *

He took a sip of his tea. Fugaku tapped the board with another piece in retaliation, and then looked up to his opponent.

This was their fourth session together and the Uchiha was nearly ready to throw in the towel.

The man seemed to be building up a sort of resistance. On the second day, Fugaku glimpsed the man's wife being mutilated. But the man seemed more content on eating this time. Even if his stew was filled with rotting flesh, _believing_ that his hunger had caused his hallucinations.

And from the curve of his daughter's chin- Fugaku assumed that the girl took after his wife more than him.

So he eased the man's pain a little bit. He allowed him to enjoy his lunch, even for a brief respite.

On the third session, the third shinobi war had seen the death of several of his friends at the hands of the Yondaime. But the only thing that stopped his own impending death, was the way he backed into the trees and scampered away like a dog, tail between his legs.

He _almost_ felt sorry for the man for having lost much.

So he hinted his disgust through thinly veiled conversation, it wasn't him, it was something inside him. Perhaps the years of aggressive training to become a clan head seated before his own father, listening to tales about the glory of the Uchiha clan. Or perhaps it was the utmost dedication he gave towards his position.

"I dislike cowardliness."

Because as clan head, abandoning your kin was a sin punishable by death.

And the man looked up at him with raised eyebrows. And for a second he thought he saw his disgust ricocheting off those orbs. For a brief second, he thought he made a dreadful mistake.

He was a lot more wary about what he said after that.

On their fourth day, they abandoned talk, and Fugaku decided to try something else, "Do you know how to play shogi?"

"Not very well, but I'm versed with the theory."

"That makes two of us then," Fugaku nodded his head.

Goui tapped the board again, he lifted a pair of dark eyes towards Fugaku, dark baggy eyes.

Perhaps to the seasoned players watching them from the interrogation window, it seemed like a game between two amateurs. But the man seemed to take his time, biding his moves. He felt a slight sense of foreboding before he realized that he was slowly being baited, cornered. He wondered if the Nara outside the room had caught wind of this before he had.

His father used to play the game a lot more than him. But his father also lived during an era where war was always looming over the horizon for the clan. It wasn't that Fugaku didn't play the game a whole awful lot, it was just that he was too busy memorizing more kata forms and learning the more rigorous rituals that came with being clan-head. He then married Mikoto, and had his first son. Between a pregnant wife and his new duties as the Uchiha police force head, he had no time for _games_.

"You tend to make a lot of defensive moves," Goui noted, as light hint of a smirk on his mouth as he tapped out Fugaku's piece.

He moved his piece back into place, away from its impending capture. Goui let out a frustrated sigh.

"I apologize if that makes things less interesting," Fugaku replied dryly, "I suppose you lose a lot more in the long term with being carelessly offensive."

The little girl sitting beside the man, pulled at his sleeve. She dangled her legs aimlessly.

" _Daddy! When will you be back home?"_

"It's not really a bother to me." The man replied, waving off the comment, "I just think the moves you make, just make it easier for me to win."

"Oh?"

Goui continued onwards. "Say if you protected your pawn," he said gesturing towards the piece moved out of his reach, "It would mean that you would lose have to sacrifice your knight or your rook."

He gestured towards the two pieces that were now exposed.

"If I took away your rook-," he said, flicking his hand towards his imposing general, "Then you would have to move your knight to capture me, I'll have set up another piece, in your brief lapse of distraction to ambush you- and capture your king." The pieces were moving under his bandaged fingers, swiftly changing the shape of the game.

"You seem to be very…" He paused as if trying to reach a good itch on his back, "defensive?"

They were both just discussing strategy, right?

For a brief second Fugaku frowned at it. His eyes then narrowed in realization as the pieces got tapped out and left him completely checkmated. The flickering girl beside the man was watching him too. She stretched her mouth in a wide grin.

Ninjas always look underneath the underneath the underneath the underneath.

"It's not really a matter of being defensive or offensive." Goui shook his head sagely, "You only seem to be working with the ebb and flow. The way to win at this game is to move with purpose. I don't see you doing that."

 _Think carefully about the future of your clan._

The air in the room started to shift.

The girl began to flicker into someone else, someone familiar. He widened his eyes.

Sasuke was looking up at him, with cherry red cheeks and a wide smile on his face. Something was moving behind his son, his dear son. There were _hands_ stretched over his eyes, waiting to eerily pop them out.

Fugaku dispelled the genjutsu hanging over the room, his red eyes blazing at the man.

The man who was still grinning at him. He'd manage to capture Fugaku in a brief stint of vulnerability with a simple shogi game…and thus overturning his own mind-games against him.

"Your eyes. Sharingan, huh?" Goui finished, moving up a piece, knocking his rook out of the field, "How careless of me, you look like an Uchiha too. Tell me, were the rumours true? The whole thing about the sharingan being able to control the bijuu?"

Fugaku didn't reply, he still felt numb. Rumours? The Hyuuga heiress who was _almost_ kidnapped, that could have been his son? That could have been Sasuke or Itachi?

"Back then, during the war, I fought against an Uchiha," He waved a hand under his nose, "Such power, such magnificence in those eyes-," The man stopped as if thinking to a far-away memory, "-Whatever this is here, is nothing but a pale imitation of it."

With whatever grace he possessed in his long years of training to be clan-head, he stood up.

And his throne of metal rod and cushioned fabric fell over, clattering below his feet. He walked up to the man shakily, placing a hand under his chin, tilting it upwards to his eyes. Fury as a robe and his eyes blazing angrily. No one would _ever_ touch his sons.

Goui looked back at him unfazed. He let out a harsh bark of laughter.

That's when the door slammed open, Ibiki rushed into the room. He jerked him violently away from the man.

"Uchiha! What the hell are you doing?"

"Morino, get out of the way!" There were fists and a swish of a black cloak.

"And let you hurt our diplomat here?"

The man watched the exchange between the two of them. He just merely grinned.

"Ah and there's the final piece of the puzzle- this explains much." He said simply and both men froze.

He took it as a cue to continue.

"So the rumours were true then. The great and powerful Uchiha clan isn't trusted. Aren't you that little dog feeding off the crumbs from the banquet of kings and men?"

Fugaku pushed Ibiki away from the man. He raised up a hand towards the man's temples. Killing intent radiated around the room, the interrogation window shook at the force of excess chakra that he emanated. He pushed up the man's chin up to look into his red eyes.

Goui hardly flinched, nor did he retaliate, he simply had a mad grin on his face, oddly resembling the image of the man who ran away with his tail behind his legs while the Yellow Flash decimated his fellows.

His lips parted once more, "Or do you lick them off the dirty floor?"

And with that, his eyes rolled back and he slumped back onto the bed, unconscious. Fugaku was left standing, staring his form. He was clenching and unclenching his fists, his brow furrowed in thought.

"Uchiha-."

"Don't talk to me in that tone, Morino." Fugaku snapped, agitated and balls of sweat running down his temples, "Thanks to your snivelling interruption-."

"How long has he known for?" Ibiki interrupted him again, tapped his fingers against the desk, in that same oddly irritating way that he used to- back when he interrogated him under cold white light, _tap tap tap tap tap tap tap_.

The Uchiha closed his eyes.

"Simple genjutsu failing? And all we got was the name of an ambiguous project? I never knew that the Uchiha police force were that _incapable_."

"Well if the T&I force wasn't so ill equipped with subtle torture methods that didn't involve breaking every finger nail on the man's hand, I'm sure you wouldn't have to rely on my _incapable_ clan." Fugaku snapped his eyes open icily, red in the depths of them. Ibiki opened his mouth to retort, the scars on his face marred, giving him the appearance of a predator.

"Enough both of you!"

The Hokage walked into the room. And both of them were silent, Sarutobi Hiruzen cast a stern gaze towards the two of them, before his eyes fell on the slumped diplomat.

He waved two ANBU guards in, "Take him to his room, cast the strongest memory jutsu on him- call Yamanaka preferably."

And the years of being Hokage was showing on his face, he let out a sigh and folded his hands behind his back, staring at the ground deep in thought.

"We'll have to finally start answering to the Raikage's demands."

* * *

"You ain't becoming Hokage if you can't even ketch me."

Uchiha Sasuke grinned, breaking into a run. Naruto glared at him.

Today Sakura was not with them, but that was fine, Sasuke didn't mind. Sasuke thought she was crazy, all girls are crazy. She was also faster and better than both Naruto and him. But Sasuke was never going to admit that. Nope.

He did feel somewhat bored, she was more of a challenge at tag than Naruto.

The dobe couldn't catch him. Sasuke wanted to train and do important things, and then show Aniki and dad and stupid Shisui how amazing he was when he would be able perform the biggerest _katon jutsu_ ever. He was always careful with the pronunciation of the word. And then stupid Shisui and Aniki would bow down before him.

" _Oh great Sasuke! You are the bestest ever! We will always follow you!"_

"I'm gonna become Hokage, believe it!" Naruto yelled, interrupting his thoughts.

Sasuke thought the boy was a complete idiot of course, being Hokage meant that you had to do a lot of big people work. He scampered over a log and watched the boy trip over it, falling flat on his face. He lifted his head up. His face was muddy and his blue eyes watered after the impact, but determined.

For some reason, that looked weird to Sasuke. Lately he'd had a funny feeling every time he looked at Naruto, the boy made him feel irritated and weird.

"You didn't even saw-ed that log there." Sasuke said pointedly, "Hokages are _the_ bestest ninjas in the village not idiots."

"Sh-shut up, _teme!"_ Sasuke raised his eyebrows at the boy, it sounded like a bad word. His kaa-san would slap him for saying that. But the dobe had no parents to correct him. He had scabs that were unbandaged and sometimes he smelled funny. And the crazy girl seemed to fuss around Naruto more, bothering if he drank his milk or ate his breakfast too.

"He doesn't have parents, Sasuke," she said slapping his arm one day after a less-than-nice remark. "Don't be rude."

Sasuke thought _her_ pretty rude, calling him her husband was creepy and pulling him off to whatever she wanted to do. Who did she think she was? She was _such_ a h-hippo-crate? He couldn't really remember the word. But he didn't have time to.

The blonde lunged at him, but Sasuke was faster at dodging.

"I'm going to b-become Hokage, and it will shut _them_ up!"

Sasuke dodged another punch. And they were about to end up in a brawl. Naruto kicked up some dirt in his face. Sasuke coughed out the dirt and hardly had time to react when the boy pushed him to the ground, his face feral. He felt the jolt of hitting the ground.

"Stop you have hurted me!" He called out, his feet trashing and flailing wildly.

" _They won't look at me funny."_ He yelled, Sasuke winced as the boy blindly brought a fist down to the ground, sending wet soil on his face and clothes. Kaa-san would be angry at him, but Sasuke didn't care.

"Get _off_ me!" He snarled, kicking out at the clumsy boy.

But the boy didn't comply, and Sasuke managed to flip him over in an attempt to punch him. But something stopped him.

"They won't say me _fox_ boy anymore!" He yelled into Sasuke's face. The spittle and hot breath from the conviction in his words spraying with each syllable. Someone jumped down from the tree on which they were on, a figure in black, making his way up to Naruto and Sasuke. He had a mask of a wolf.

It was that weird feeling again. Something sounded out in the depths of his mind, echoing the boy pinned underneath him.

"And I will not ever give up on that dream! That's my _n-ninja way_ , believe it!"

The echo filled his mind.

* * *

"Kakashi Hatake is a good option for this mission, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the papers in front of him. He scratched notes idly onto the paper and frowned in thought.

"I'm not entirely sure if I want to send Kakashi-kun on this."

Shikaku Nara placed the copy-nin's folder onto the 'waste' pile. He opened another one and then looked up.

"What exactly are you looking for, Hokage-sama?" He asked, slightly baffled at the appalling lack of names chosen.

"Shikaku-san," the wizened man began, "I'm looking for people I can trust. And unfortunately, I'm not entirely sure if there's a lot." He scratched another name off the list and then flipped the page of the book containing his ANBU members.

"And you don't trust Hatake? But he's the Yondai-."

"Minato's cute student? I know." Sarutobi frowned. But he never elaborated further. The Nara assumed by the glint in the Hokage's eye, that all was not well lately with the Hatake and his Hokage.

"No," The Hokage started after some silence with a frown, "I guess we could add him to the list of candidates."

There was silence, more scratching of pen to paper and the Nara flipped through another folder absently.

"How about someone who's not yet in ANBU, how about Itachi Uchiha?" The older man interrupted his thoughts.

"The clan heir?" Shikaku raised an eyebrow, "Of all people-."

"Shikaku-san," The Hokage began quietly, "We need to start taking steps in the right direction before things go out of hand."

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama," Shikaku started in, "I do think trusting them with a decision like this would…" He trailed off, but Sarutobi knew what he was about to say.

"Nara-san, do you think that Fugaku would be allied with Kumogakure?"

Nara furrowed his brow, "I don't exactly believe that…but I do believe that you are looking for people that you can _trust_." He added emphasis on the word. What sort of motive could the Uchiha have with allying themselves with an enemy? No, the Uchiha clan wouldn't want to be tied down to another village, would they?

"There's a difference between someone like Kakashi-kun and Itachi-kun." The Hokage began quietly, "just as there are different types of trust."

The Nara said nothing, watching as the Hokage scratched the paper idly. His old wrinkled fingers forming words and notes on the pages. The Uchiha wouldn't betray them, he thought solemnly, no, not without reason.

Konoha couldn't afford that betrayal.

"When you've been in this position as long as I have, you'll learn that the hard way." The Hokage continued.

He picked up Itachi's folder, and flipped through it. The boy's development was documented through neatly scrawled academy notes from all his teachers.

"Itachi-kun is highly skilled it seems. There are a lot of expectations for him in the future."

He continued flipping the pages, some of them were attached reports with words like 'exemplary' written over the boy's neat writing. And with each page, there was nothing but more praises littered all over the reports that Itachi had done, during his time at the academy. The Uchiha was a poster child for perfection, no surprises there.

"His teachers described him as having a pleasant temperament. Always polite- never questioned orders and obeyed them succinctly. He has an incredible amount of talent."

He placed the folder down.

"But Konoha has plenty of talent," the Hokage closed the folder with a light flop. The momentum lightly lifting the other pages, he leaned forward, easing himself with a few particularly satisfying cracks, "And there is a difference between talent and the person who uses it, as well. Itachi-kun in particular interests me tremendously, perhaps _how_ he would use his talent."

Shikaku thought of the various meetings that he had had with the Uchiha prodigy, yes it did seem as if the boy appeared much gentler than his father. He'd often been surprised. Perhaps it was just childish naivety showing.

The Nara never went out of his way to deal with people like the Uchiha anyways, they were far too… _troublesome_.

But the professor often praised sparingly, and not without reason either.

"Hokage-sama," Shikaku widened his eyes, "Are you implying something?"

The Hokage's eyes were glassy as he responded.

"Maybe one day, this seat would be occupied with someone else, someone who cares about this village much like its predecessors. Sometimes I feel like leaf's mistakes will catch up to her soon enough. We will need children like Itachi when that time comes."

Shikaku stomached the Hokage's words before nodding. He realized that there was something else in the undertones of his Hokage's voice. He was implicitly trusting him with this knowledge. It was also common knowledge between the two of them that the position was well fought for, there was a lot of politics brewing in the depths of Konoha.

So it made sense right now, they needed people that they could _trust_ , people who had the capacity to be trusted.

"I understand, Hokage-sama." He responded with light nod.

The old man gave him a crinkled grin.

"Okay, Itachi-kun it is." He hummed as he scratched the name down.

* * *

Back then, in another life, her nights were often plagued with dreams, fevered dreams full of her old team-mates, friends and families. This didn't change in her new life either. So Sakura often found herself staring aimlessly at the grey ceiling, the wind chime hanging over her bed.

The little pink plastic hearts dangled aimlessly above her head, like knives from strings, like dangling, broken beams from burning rooftops.

She blinked.

The moon was out, shining over late night hours. Sakura sat up, careful not to disturb the wind chimes. She observed her appearance in the mirror in front of her. The lack of sleep was getting to her, showing in the slight stress lines underneath viridian eyes. And for a flicker of a second, she felt like she was looking at her older self, covered in bruises, blood and burns.

She sighed, and rubbed her aching arms.

But no matter how much her body screamed at her to sleep, her mind was alert, and awake. Restless. Replaying gruesome scenes over and over. So she slowly eased in her cool medical chakra through her fingertips, bringing some nourishment to her exhausted body and soothing her tired eyes.

There was no real substitution for the body's natural requirements, and rejuvenation jutsus only worked as long as she had chakra flowing in her body- and Sakura didn't have a lot. Her dear Shishou payed dearly for this with her life.

 **You'd think we'd be a little bit smarter about our health, ya know?**

She snorted in response, opening her eyes and stretching her rejuvenated arms.

But then again, there were some perks of being of being a child. She had no shift tomorrow at the hospital, or _long_ hours in the Hokage's office under his watchful gaze, paranoia slowly creeping out from the cracks of each response to his prying questions. She would at least do "nap-time" later.

Sakura pulled out the make-shift equipment belt from underneath her bed, which belonged to her father. She had sewn in a pouch on the edge of the belt and cut it to fit her smaller waist, dropping in a kunai she had gotten via a younger and much more abrasive Kakashi when he almost caught Inner's clone. She then donned a black hoodie but not before putting on a mask reminiscent of her old sensei.

Sakura tucked a lock of pink hair into the hood and stared at her knobby appearance in the mirror

 **Close enough.**

'It'll do,' she agreed, and then performed a few seals. Her undone blankets were slowly lapped over the expanse that was her bed, over the image of herself tucked under the covers. She let her eyes linger over the image, scanning it for possible imperfections.

 **So where are we going tonight? A walk?**

She let her chakra spread over her house, feeling for any sort of disturbance that might mean that her parents were awake. And when none came, she pushed herself off the window sill and landed on the branch next to the house, slightly wobbly.

Her months of training in reflexes in a four year old's- turning five body was sort of paying off. Even though her monstrous strength and her chakra reserves were still awful, flexibility and lightness in a child's body accounted for what was compromised.

 **Four o'clock!**

She pressed herself against the bark of the tree and watched as an ANBU whipped by her. She exhaled out, then looked around warily before taking to the streets. The streets in the village at night in one of the biggest villages in fire country, were not entirely devoid of life. There were still some late night crowds.

She henged into an older version of a woman who died before her time. Well, according to the records in her memory anyways, before walking through the crowds. Sakura sidestepped a man who smelled suspiciously like alcohol, swaying dangerously from left to right. He glanced at her.

She shifted her henged bangs over her eyes, the woman she had decided to impersonate was a woman with soft silver hair, with dark smoky eyes. The woman had never belonged to Konoha and had died during the third shinobi war. But it wasn't like anyone was going to notice her, especially in the civilian district. She appeared more civilian than anything.

Even years later, in her life. The woman was never meticulously noted in any of Danzo's files, or anywhere inside his archives, unlike his other missions. And even later, when she managed to crack the drawers in the Hokage's office. She knew every nook and cranny because of the bottles of sake that she hid from Tsunade.

Sakura was always faintly curious as to what was the reason for eliminating the woman. There was always either a Completed or Failed in the mission reports, nothing more, nothing less. But sometimes the targets were noted in great detail.

But this woman in particular was just a passing mention, even if she was an assassination target. No reason given for her death.

She continued down the path, towards her old training ground where team seven used to practice. Sakura was so lost in thought, she hardly noticed that she had bumped into someone, throwing him to the ground.

"Uhm! Sorry!" She said reaching for the….boy's hand?

A young boy with silver hair sat rubbing his head. He was staring at her through the film of his glasses, she saw herself reflect off it. He was staring up at her through his hood.

 **No way.**

"He couldn't be," she thought frantically. The boy looked at her slightly disgruntled, as if he was interrupted in the middle of something. But he looked exactly like she remembered him- at least before he single-handedly led Madara's zetsu clones to assault Konoha in her time.

Because if he died right now, the Orochimaru in her future would have one less ally, and Sasuke would never have to leave.

The night was dark, the crowds seemed to move by slowly. She was fingering her kunai behind her back, deep in thought as she helped him up.

"Are you okay?" He asked her slowly when he caught her staring at him. His face was frowning, twisting with some sort of familiarity.

Sakura's face flickered back into a pleasant temperament.

"Yes I am, are you?"

Sakura was mentally running through all the twenty-four techniques that she could use right there and then to kill him.

Someone brushed by her shoulder, a woman with a few bags under her arms, complaining loudly about people who blocked her path. The drunk stumbled back into her view, he was watching the two of them curiously.

But _if_ she killed him right here, then the civilians would be alert, afraid and paranoid. She flitted her eyes over to the roofs of the marketplace, and so would the ANBU doing their patrol of the district. She nodded hurriedly, schooling her expression into a light, reassuring smile.

 **That's right, be careful now, sister.**

Kabuto gave her a once over, his dark eyes scanning her body for any sign of mishap. She felt her heart nearly skip a beat until he nodded and whizzed by her, the momentum causing her henge'd hair to sort of lift upwards.

She counted under her breath, completely still. The drunk looked at her funny.

"You aight missy? You were lookin' kinda dumb with yer mouth hangin' open." He gave out a watery chuckle.

She kept his chakra signature within her peripheral. Letting him gain some distance on her. One step, two step….fifteen…

And she darted off into the night, silently, tailing the boy.

Dropping the henge, she careened over the roof tops, doubling back and gaining some distance as an ANBU passed by her. Her own smaller body proved useful right now, ducking under a clothes line, slightly. She was masking her chakra.

They continued like this for a while. And her eyes scanned the streets for an opportunity to kill him.

He seemed to be going towards the direction of an empty street. There had been a fire here a couple of years ago. And the smell of the long put out fires in the crumbly ruins was still aching to her senses, or at least it felt so familiar that she felt cold sweat run down her temples. She tightened her mask around her cheeks and jumped off the building onto firm ground, masking her presence silently with the blackened wreckage.

And then at the crossroads of two streets, Kabuto stopped, Sakura played around with the ring of her kunai, narrowing her eyes. She brought her hands up to form a few seals.

And someone else stepped out of from the shadows. And she let her arms fall to the side.

Kabuto's face seemed to brighten at the sight of the man in front of him.

"Kabuto-kun." The sound of that voice was just so fuckin' _familiar_ , sending shivers running down her spine. Sakura felt bile rise up in the back of her throat.

 **Oh by the Nidaime's balls, the entire fuckin' freak show is here.**

"Orochimaru-sama," the boy pushed up his glasses, "do you have the item that Danzo-sama requested?"

The man lifted up a sort of cloaked object out of a bag and dropped it into the boy's hands languidly.

"Ara? He's still making you do his dirty work? What a pity, Kabuto-kun. But my offer still stands."

The boy didn't seem to answer the eerie representation of the Saanin, a twenty-four year old man, from the looks of his lips, it was a corpse, animated with a fragment of Orochimaru's soul- for the sole purpose of communication. The Konoha Jounin jacket still upon his shoulders, snuggly donning the rotting body.

The acrid stench of bodies hit her nose.

 **Wasn't he supposed to leave Konoha? Why is he here?**

The realization hit her gut like a ton of bricks. Because Orochimaru never gotten his greatest desires, he never got to be the Hokage that he desired so much. And he wanted to rip it out of his old sensei's hands by force, by flame or by blood.

When he got no answer from Kabuto, he prodded onwards, "Anyways, tell Danzo to take notes, _careful_ notes. It is so very important to my research. By the way-."

The man sent a look in her direction. His eyes roaming over the wreckage that she had her back pressed up against. An expression of amusement, even if it wasn't Orochimaru's body- he still had the same infuriating, sadistic look on his face. The same one he had when he looked at her as a genin in the forest of death, shrouded by leaves and darkness, framed by her thickened fear of the sannin. And she felt like that same genin, twelve, useless and watching as Sasuke was bitten.

"Are you aware that you have company?"

The world was burning, the ground was crackling under her feet and she could still smell the corpses. She could still feel the burns on her skin. The noxious miasma of burning bodies hit her face like a draft of air.

Sakura clenched her teeth and dodged the assailing kunai.

* * *

 _A/N: Yush! The part of the chapter where I get to rant. But before that, thanks for the love and reviews again. I decided to go back to the drawing board with this story, take my time to write out details and stuff. So I'd like to think that we're finally getting the train moving along, hope you guys enjoy the ride!_

 _So I've been working on a couple of side-stories, and slowly scrapping the drafts that I produced for this story. I'm currently working on another oneshot, not romance more like angst/hurt/comfort- ish. But I was kind of stuck on that so I came back to this. I was kind of happy with this rewritten chapter. I know I promised more Shisui, and truth be told, he was scheduled for this chapter, but I sort of scrapped that draft too. Also to the reviewer who asked for the Naruto meets Sakura moment, ahhh…see here's the thing, I'm picking up the pace of the story because there's a lot- but while I can't make any promises about any couples, baby Naruto's Pov will sort of 'tell' of their first meeting. I mean come on, "Sakura-chan is the coolest girl ever! She just put bugs into the old fart's pants!" is totally something so Naruto._

 _Review, flames and kisses are welcome. Oh and also perhaps your favourite song, because I've been running out of songs lately._


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